Garment envelope



Jan. 8, 1929. v v 1,698,549

L. E. LA BOMBARD ET AL GARMENT ENVELOPE Filed Feb. 4. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 705's 1 [UN 1 A 517/754 E0. M1 V/NH 5705507/7/1/2 Jan. 8, 1929. 1,698,549

L. E. L .A BOMBARD ET AL GARMENT ENVELOPE Filed Feb. 4, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 //v VE/V TU/PS. ZEUNf. [A BUNEARD- Na v//v hfS/af 51777704/7.

A 7 TUE/V5 Y.

Patented Jan. 8, 1929.

NUNITED STATES 1,698,549 PATENT OFFICE.-

LEON E. LA BOMBARD, OF WEST NEWTON, AND MELVIN H. SIDEBOTHAM, OF NEW- TONVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNORS T0 SPECIALTY AUTOMATIC MACHINE COMPANY, OF CHELSEA, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

GARMENT Application filed February This invention relates to holders or envelopes for shirts or similar articles or goods whenleft in stock or exposed for sale, or to contain such articles returned from a laundry, especially the latter purpose.

The invention has particular reference to means for not only protecting the articles from dust and dirt, but also to retain such articles as soft shirts, or dress shirts, which .are always liable to shift or slide in a container, in flat or un-crumpled condition.

A particular object of the invention is to provide a stiffener for the complete package, which stiffener consists of one of the members of the envelope and is so constructed or shaped that, although normally fiat, it will be converted, by the insertion of a shirt or other article in the envelope, to a form which .will greatly increase its longitudinal stiffness.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an envelope for the purposes explained, which envelope requires a lesser amount of material to produce it, although of the same capacity as the envelopes here tofore used for such purposes.

Another object is to provide a garment envelope having a thin front-member and a relatively thick back member the side edges of which are enclosed within marginal portions of the thin member, and so constructed that there is little or no liability of the edges of the back member cutting or tearing through the thin member,

Another object is to provide a holder or envelope from which an. enclosed garment can not slip.

Another object is to provide a holder or envelope for a folded shirt, which envelope completely covers and protects all portions of the shirt which are visible when the shirt is worn.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction and combination of parts substantially as here- 12 are scalloped, as at 15. This serves sevinafter described and claimed.

Of the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the en-' velope, partly broken out, and illustrating the upper portion of ashirt contained therein, and illustration of thebodyportion of the shirt. being omitted for the sake of clearness. Figure 2 is a perspective view takenfrom the reverse or under side of the envelope.

ENVELOPE.

4, 1927. Serial No. 165,820.

' of the envelope illustrating how a contained shirt is prevented from slipping out.

Figure 4 is a detail perspective, on a larger scale, to illustrate the scalloped condition of. the edges of the stiff back member.

Figure 5 illustrates a slight modification hereinafter described.

Similar reference characters indicate similar parts or features in all of the views.

The envelope comprises a cardboard back member 12 and a flexible front member 13 preferably consisting of tissue paper, the side margins of the front member being folded over the side edges of the back member and adhesivelysecured. In the drawings, where an edge" of the member 13 is illustrated, or it is shown insection, said member appears to be thick because double lines are employed. This is because single lines would be confusing. In practice, the member 13'is very thin.

' The back member 12 is preferably creased I parallel with its side edges, as indicated at 14:, to enable itsside margins to be turned or bent up from a fiat plane for the purpose explained in our application filed May 3, 1926, Serial No. 106,585, of which appli cation the present one is a continuation in part. such relative areas laterally that when not in use the tissue member lies flat and taut on the cardboard member. When a garment is inserted between the two members, the result is to slightly reduce the width of the holder, expanding it as to thickness, the tissue member, owing to its taut condition, exerting a pull on the edges of the back member and changing the shape of the latter to the form of a shallow trough, resulting in rendering the holder as a whole so stiff longitudinally that the package can be handled easily and the garment in the envelope will remain in proper folded condition.

The side edges of the stiff back member eral purposes. Since the front tissue member is usually quite transparent, the scallops The front and back members are of less material is required for the members 12, all as will be more fully explained.

' The scallops 15 are present, in practice, the full length of the side edges of the member 12, and provide a large number' of rounded protuberances which, when the thin member is subjected'to lateral tension, bend or yield instead of causing the. tissue paper to tear. To still further reduce liability of the tissue member being torn when pulled, the scallops or protuberances 15 are transversely creased, as at 16, near their tips, such creasing softening the extreme side edges of the member 12, and usually effecting aslight defle tion of said extreme edges out of a flat plane. So far as this last feature is concerned, we do not limit ourselvesto employing such creases at 16 in envelope members having scalloped edges, as said creases will have similar tearresisting characteristics when formed close to the'edges of a similar member 12 which is not scalloped. Scalloping is preferred however for the reason that it results in a saving of material as will now be explained.-

By cutting the members 12 from sheet or web stock by means of dies or other cutting implements that form such edges as illustrated by Figures 1 and 4, there is a saving of material for each member equalling exactly the length of the protuberances along one edge. This will be self-evident when it is understood that when a die cuts such a line as illustrated, the protuberances of one edge of one blank exactly fit the spaces between the protuberances of the adjacent edge of the next blank.

The amount of material for each member 12 of an envelope is further reduced below Whatis usually employed, by so cutting the material that one end of each blank is convexed as at 17 and the other end concaved as illustrated by dotted lines 18 (Fig. 2). The curves of said ends are alike when formed by a die which simultaneously forms the top edge of one blank and the bottom edge of the next blank. This, as will be readily understood, enables an envelope mem ber 12 having a given total length to be produced with a lesser amount of stock material than would berequired for a member having straight end edges and of the same total length as the one illustrated.

By comparing Figures 1 and 2, it will be seen that the thin member 13 is recessed at one end 19 and correspondingly tapered atthe other end 20. Said tapered end 20 is folded over the recessed end of the thick member 12 and adhesively secured to the back thereof, thereby closing that end of the space between the two members. The formation of the member 13 with the recess 19 enables the neck-band portion of the shirt a to be seen, but at the same time provides portions of said member 13 to extend up to position to cover and protect shoulder portions of the shirt. An ideal shirt package should completely cover all portions of the garment which are visible when said garment is worn, but' it is sary that the usual manufacturers label, or the usual laundry mark on the neck band, shall be visible. The structure described provides for such a package,,the shouldercovering portions being indicated at m.

It is sometimes desirable to reinforce the thin member 13 at its recessed end. As illustrated by Figure 1, this is provided by a small piece or layer of sufiiciently strong paper 21 adhesively secured to the inner or under face of the member 13 and extending across the recess or notch 19. Said layer or tab 21 is formed with a lip or tongue 22 in which is enclosed a strip of ductile metal 23. lVhen a shirt is in the envelope, the tongue 22 with its strip of metal 23 can be easily bent over the front of the neck band and down inside, thus forming a. hook which will reliably prevent the shirt from slipping out. It can not slip out at the other end because of the folded and secured tapered end 20 of the member 13. The tongue 22 has another function :when a shirt is to be slipped into the envelope, a preliminary lifting of the said tongue or lip and then holding it up, opens the receiving or mouth end of the envelope so that the insertion of the shirt will not be liable to tear the thin member 13.

Figure 5 is a somewhat conventional illustration of a modified reinforcement and lifting tab at the entrance end of the envelope. It is to be understood that, with the exception of the reinforccn'ient and tab, the envelope maybe the same as illustrated by Figures 1 and 2. In said Figure 5, the reinforcing layer 26 is pasted to the upper in-' stead of theinner surface of the member 13, and is creased as at 27, the creasing being done on two lines which converge in a direction away from the edge so as to form a portion that can be expanded when lifted, and thereby present a mouth that will facilitate the placing of a. shirt in the envelope. The lip or tongue 22 may be employed in the same manner and for the same purpose as explained in connection with Figures 1 and 3.

Having now described our invention, we claim 1. A garment holder comprising a thin front member and a relatively stiff back also highly necesmember connected at their side edges, the

member connected at their edges, one end of the back member being recessed and the other end projecting at its mid-width, the thin front member being folded over the recessed end of the back member and secured to the back thereof.

3. A garment envelope comprising a thin front member and a relatively stiff back member, two opposite edge portions of the thin member being folded over the side edges of the stiff member and secured thereto in taut condition, the extreme edges of the stiff member being deflected out of a fiat plane to soften the same and reduce liability 'of cutting through the thin member.

4:. A garment envelope comprising a thin paper front member and a relatively stiff back member, the latter having scalloped side edges, the thin member having marginal portions folded over the scalloped edges of the stiff member and secured to the back thereof.

5. A garment envelope comprising a thin paper front member and a relatively stiff back member, the latter having transversely creased scalloped side edges, the thin member having marginal portions folded over the scalloped edges of the stiff member and secured in position. v

6. A garment envelope comprising a thin front member and a relatively stiff back member, the latter having relatively soft yieldable side edges, the thin front member having marginal portions extending around said yieldable side edges of the stiff member and secured in position in transversely taut condition.

7. A garment envelope comprising a thin front member and a relatively stiff back member connected together at their side margins, the thin member having a recessed edge at the entrance end of the envelope and having a tapered portion folded over the other end of the back member and secured to the back thereof.

8. A garment envelope comprising a single thin front member and a relatively stifl back member connected together at their side margins, the edge of the thin member at the entrance end of the envelope being recessed and having a bendable tongue to engage a portion of the neck band of a shirt contained in the envelope.

9. A garment envelope comprising a stiff back member having one end concaved and the other end convexed, and a thin front member the side margins of which are folded over the side edges of the back member and secured to the back thereof, said thin front member having a tapered extension folded over the recessed end of the stiff member and secured to the back thereof, the ed e of the thin member opposite said tapere extension being recessed.

10. A garment holder comprising back and front members connected at opposite edges, one of said members being relatively rigid and having longitudinal creases adjacent to its edges and the other member having. such a width as to effect deflection of the margins of the creased member out of a flat plane by the pulling action of said other member when a garment is inserted between said members.

11. A garment holder comprising a thin front member and a relatively rigid back member marginally connected with the thin member in taut condition, portions of the back member adjacent to its edges being weakened to effect deflection of its margins out of a flat plane by the pulling action of the thin member when a garment is inserted between said members.

LEON E. LA BOMBARD. MELVIN H. SIDEBOTHAM. 

